


The Historic Disappearance of Louis Le Prince

by orphan_account



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Conspiracy!, Dynamic Duo, Thomas Edison is a dick, and it's got a train, dapper 1880s fashion, he doesn't, henchmen!, it's got history, it's got mystery, louis le prince is my hero, only if it suits the story, probably won't be shyan but I've said that before, the Boys are awaiting Louis to get off the train, the streets of Paris!, they decide to find him
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-04-04 21:58:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14029620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Meeting a man about a patent is a pretty basic thing. You turn up, he turns up, you talk a little, you sign stuff. Not a lot can really go wrong. Unless, of course, the man meant to sign the patent disappears off the face of the earth.A search for the Father of Cinematography begins, and opens a Pandora's box of envious inventors and greedy henchmen.





	1. Where oh where is Louis Le Prince?

The station was chaotic. Steam filled the air, both from the passing trains and from the bustle of travelers themselves. Oh yes, it was an uncomfortably hot day, and as a result everyone was just that bit more sensitive than usual. Touchy. Aggressive. The yelling and shouting that filled the air like a hot cloud was evidence enough of this. Yep, it sure looked and sounded chaotic. Not that the two men sitting outside a quaint little cafe across the square were paying any attention.

“Ryan, you know I don’t care.”

“No, but listen, this guy is  _big_. He’s-”

“Stop.”

“No, really, just-”

“Stop talking. Or I’ll scream. I will.”

“No you won’t. We’re in public.”

“I’ll do it, Ryan. I’ll holler.” 

“God, fine.” He sat back in his chair, snapping his black notebook closed. “You’re probably one of the worst people I know, have I ever told you that?”

“You don’t  _know_ me, Ryan.” The taller man sat with his legs crossed in a figure four, an elbow resting on the table, hand almost-cupping the porcelain mug filled with coffee as he went back to watching the people coming and going from the smoke-covered station. “We just work together sometimes. Don’t get too buddy-buddy.”

“We work together almost always, Madej.” He began counting them off on his fingers, ignoring the dry look thrown his way. “Elisha Otis, Doctor Gatling, Alexander Bell, Dav-”

“ _Graham_ Bell,” interrupted Shane, lifting his half-empty mug to his mouth. “Alexander Graham Bell.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry I forgot to include his middle name.” Ryan flashed him a grin. “Sue me, yeah?”

“How many times are you going to make that joke?”

“Until you at least giggle.”

“If anything, that just  _proves_ you don’t know me.” He took a sip of his coffee; maybe a hot drink was a bad choice for today. “Any friend of mine would know I don’t laugh at jokes that are, um… How do I put this… Oh yeah,  _terrible_.”

Ryan shrugged, folding his arms on the table. “It wasn’t terrible the first time I said it, and it still isn’t.”

“Anyway, we don’t work together ‘almost always’. I work loads without you!”

“That’s only because you’re a lawyer. You get more stuff to do.” Ryan pulled at his stiff collar, glowering at the sun. The heat was killing him, making him regret picking today to sport a dark grey waistcoat. He was surprised Madej wasn’t cooking alive; not only did he also wear a waistcoat, but a black frock coat too. Yikes. “God, what the hell is with this heat, dude? I’m grilling here.”

“Sun’s looking a good bit lower than when we last checked, isn’t it?” Shane squinted at his burnished copper pocket watch, pulling a face. “Look, Le Prince was meant to be here, like, an hour ago. Where the hell is he?”

“Maybe the train got delayed.”

“Will we maybe go and check?” He got to his feet, snapping his watch closed with his slim fingers. “Instead of sitting around like two useless patent examiners. Oh wait, that’s just you.”

Ryan rolled his eyes, standing up and draping his own coat over his arm. “The specificity of that made what would’ve been a good joke just… not funny.”

“Still better than yours.”

“I really think that’s not true.” Ryan joined him as they departed for the station, step for step. “What’s with the cane? You didn’t have that last time.”

“Hm? Oh, it’s to hit people I don’t like. Watch.”

“Jesus-  _Ow_ , Shane! If I wanted a demonstration, I would’ve asked for one.”

“Ah, but if you know me as well as you think you do, maybe you would’ve been expecting that.” The taller man grinned to himself as they continued through the ever-thickening crowd, hearing Ryan’s irritated mutters beside him. “Stay close, now. You’d be easy to lose around here.”

“Oh shut up, Shane, or I'll take that cane and-"

"It'd be more like a staff to you, I think."

Ryan decided to keep his mouth closed, a flat look on his face as they meandered through the bustling crowd. It had been a few months since he'd last worked with Madej, and he'd forgotten quite how epigrammatic he was, how _delightfully_ witty. He had to admit that he hadn't really missed it.

The low rumbling of trains coming and going grew louder and louder, swelling through the station as the two men managed to push their way in, the _chug chug chug_  of each train palpable as each machine took off. Shane carved a path for them, waving his cane like a blind man with a personal vendetta against everyone in the station, insincere apologies following each movement. Ryan followed closely with his hands shoved deep in his pockets to deter any potential pickpockets. They'd stopped off in London on their long journey to Paris, and had many an item swiped from them in the dusty, smoke-filled streets. They could only hope Paris was a bit kinder.

"You must be even a tiny bit excited!" shouted Ryan over the din, earning a half-glance from the taller man in front. "Le Prince is on the verge of something amazing! Something revolutionary! What he's planning could change entertainment forever!"

"He has to get his patent first!" Shane peered over the milling crowd, spying the ticket office just across from the entrance. "Baby steps, Ryan. If you have a choice."

The queue for the ticket office wasn't exactly a queue, but a mob. After yelled explanations that they were _not_ buying, they were just _inquiring_ , Ryan left Shane to try and deter the angry customers, turning to the disinterested worker sitting behind the glass.

"The train from Dijon," he stated, leaning forwards so that he could be heard more easily. "Is it late?"

The man shook his head lazily. "No, monsieur. Arrived an hour ago."

"An hour?"

"Yes, that is what I said. Anything else I can help you with?" This question was said in a tone that made it clear he wanted one answer and one answer only.

Ryan stared at him for a long moment before he felt a hand on his shoulder, pulling him away and out of the broiling crowd. Shane looked down at him, an eyebrow arched, as they telepathically agreed to get the hell out of the unbearable heat.

"Well? What did he say?"

"He said it arrived. On time." Ryan gave him an uneasy look. "Where's Le Prince? You did give him the right place to meet, didn't you?"

"I definitely did." 

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," scowled Shane, following the shorter man to a more isolated area of the square, where they didn't have to shout at each other to be heard. Not that this usually stopped them from shouting at each other. "He must've just forgotten to meet us. That's all."

"That's all?" Ryan scoffed, hands on his hips. "I don't know if you're aware, but patents are _incredibly_ important to inventors. Without a patent, they could lose everything they worked for. They-"

"Don't try and lecture me on my area of expertise, Bergara," interrupted Shane, using his cane like a switch to give the shorter man a sharp tap on the leg. "You may be the guy who issues the patents, but you wouldn't get anywhere without me. You _need_ me."

"There's hundreds of other lawyers, Madej. You're not irreplaceable." He gave his leg a subtle rub where Shane had hit him, hoping the taller man wouldn't notice. "And don't hit me with that stupid thing."

"Yeah, but how long did Bennett last with you again?" Shane stroked his chin in mock-pensiveness, seeing Ryan scowling moodily at him. "About two jobs, was it? So maybe five months, at a stretch?"

"He was _transferred_ , Madej."

"He got sick of your shit, that's what it was." Shane pointed firmly at himself, his other hand on his hip. "I, on the other hand, have stuck with you regardless of your irritatingly boundless optimism and tiring enthusiasm."

"I'm both insulted and weirdly complimented." He raised his hand before the taller man could continue, closing his eyes in an attempt to calm himself down; maybe if he couldn't see Shane, he wouldn't find him as annoying. "Look, back to what I was saying, okay? Le Prince wouldn't have forgotten about us because right now we're the most important thing to him on this planet. Agree?"

A pause. "Agree."

Ryan gestured at the station. "So it's either he- I don't know. He never got on the train?"

"That's unlikely." They began wandering across the square, not in any particular direction, but simply because casual movement seemed to make the situation less worrisome. "His brother rang the hotel at around half two to tell me he'd just gotten back from dropping Louis to the station. He mentioned talking to him through the compartment window."

"So he was definitely on the train then." 

"Unless he got off along the way?"

"There's no stops from Dijon to here." Ryan scratched his chin distractedly, hearing the taller man hum thoughtfully beside him, his cane lightly tapping the stone as they walked. "Which meant that he definitely reached here, right? No way he couldn't have."

"Perhaps he just forgot the name of the cafe?"

"There's only three cafes on this square, Shane. He couldn't have gone that far wrong." He half-turned to check the large clock set in the middle of the glass window that covered the front of the train station. "It's almost been two hours. He's definitely not here."

"This is highly inconvenient, Ryan." He gave a deep sigh. "That, and the fact that we're being followed."

"What? Where?"

"Don't look, you idiot. They started following us in the station, while we were talking." He threw another subtle look over his shoulder, letting his eyes drift over the two short, stocky men who lingered a few feet behind. "Could just be pickpockets targeting tourists."

"Or something else," muttered Ryan, keeping his alarmed gaze fixed ahead. "We were talking about Le Prince, remember?"

"No, no, slow down." He cracked a grin, throwing a sidelong look at the shorter man. "You can't go off on one of your conspiracies again. They really drive me insane. Ghosts this, aliens that, government everything else."

"You think it's a coincidence that Le Prince somehow just doesn't turn up, and now two shady guys are following us ever since we were talking about him?"

"Yes," he replied lightly. "I do think it's a coincidence."

Ryan rolled his eyes, steering the taller man in the direction of the heaving station. "We best shake them off, anyway."

"Look at me, Ryan. I'm not exactly an easy guy to lose in a crowd."

"Then- Then just crouch." They passed through the looming archway with a bit more ease than last time. It seemed like rush hour was coming to an end. Great. "Split up, meet back at the cafe in ten minutes, yeah?"

Shane gave him a dry look. "Being a bit dramatic here, Ryan. But fine."

It was apparently that easy. Ten minutes of winding separate paths through the crowd - Shane taking his colleague's advice and staying relatively low - crossing various platforms, and perhaps taking a second or two to admire the shining trains with their ribbons of smoke fluttering from their chimneys, they arrived almost simultaneously back at the cafe. The sun was quickly setting, but it was still belting out heat, and the two men mentally cursed it.

"Gone?" asked Ryan, finally giving in and loosening his black tie from around his neck. "Can you see?"

Shane let his gaze skim the people around them as he followed suit, pulling at his own patterned cravat. "Looks like it. Happy?"

"We should go back to the hotel."

" _Relax_ , Ryan. Jesus." He reluctantly began following him, like an old man after a particularly hyper child. "I mean, really. What's your plan here?"

"Our plan," corrected Ryan, seeing the taller man appear out of the corner of his eye as they found their way onto a smaller side street. 

"Our plan? Since when?"

"Think about it, Shane." He raised an eyebrow at him, still walking quickly, Shane easily keeping pace. "If- If Le Prince _has_ gone missing, what's the next logical step the police will take?"

A silence as the taller man thought. "To find out who did it."

"Bingo. And who-"

"Fuck, Ryan! They're gonna think it was us!" 

Ryan nodded, already feeling his heart starting to palpitate at the thought. "Yep. We'll be the prime suspects. We'll-"

"They'll ruin my reputation," continued Shane, eyes distant as he began to link the potential sequence of events together. "They'll ruin me. My name will be dragged through the dirt. They'll-"

" _Our_ reputations. They'll ruin _us_." He came to a halt, turning to face the taller man with wide eyes. " _Our_ names will be dragged through the dirt, Shane! He was meant to meet us. Together."

"What if he was meant to meet someone else?" suggested Shane, sounding just a tiny bit desperate, even to his own ears. "There's shitloads of inventors around here. There's, uh, there's Lallement, there's Minié _,_ Baudot, the, uh, the guy who's doing all that stuff with sound, there's-"

"Cros, Charles Cros."

"-the Lumières, there's loads!"

Ryan blinked at this, earning a confused look from his colleague. "The Lumières."

"Yeah. Auguste and Louis. I think. They're French, right? Parisians?"

"I don't know, but..." He began moving forwards again, hearing the rhythmic tapping of the taller man's cane as he followed. "You know what Le Prince is working on, right?"

"Nope. I was gonna leave that stuff up to you."

"Moving pictures." 

"Hm?" Shane frowned at him as they turned the corner onto a slightly busier street, dotted with bright flowerbeds and filled with the smell of fresh bread. "What do you mean? Any picture can move if you shake it hard enough."

He kept his voice low, hushed with awe. "I'm talking about pictures that _move_. Like real life. I don't know how else to describe it. Literally like someone takes a picture of things that are moving and you can show them after. You can shine them on a wall and watch them like you were watching real life people moving."

Shane stared at him, his fond smile slipping. "Are you serious?"

"Yes! He has his patent here, and he has his patent in the Britain, but he just doesn't have the American one yet." 

"Holy shit, Ryan. That's-" He seemed speechless even at the idea. "If he- If that's true, I'll kiss him on the f- on the _mouth_. I'll say 'you've done it, sir! You've changed the world!'"

"But the Lumières have been thinking of something like that recently," continued Ryan, enjoying the fact that for once Shane actually seemed impressed with something he'd said. "Something like moving pictures. A projector, I think they said."

The sun was barely visible above the rooftop of their small hotel, with its quaint Juliet balconies and delicate stonework. Shane threw one quick look back down the street in case the two men had followed them, holding the door open for Ryan. No one was in the street, it seemed. Just a woman meandering by, a basket on her arm, and a parasol in her hand. He followed after his colleague, into the stuffy foyer. Really, if everyone loved inventing so much, they should invent some way to keep buildings cool. And some way to keep buildings bright after it started getting dark; the foyer was dim, despite the flickering oil lamps. 

The happy-go-lucky voice of the receptionist shook him from his thoughts. "Hope you enjoyed your stay, Mister Tesla. _Au revoir, et bientôt_."

Shane stepped aside to let the tall dark-haired man pass before following his colleague into the adjoining lounge. Ryan looked anxious, and understandably so. If Le Prince didn't turn up, where was he? Did he decide to just bail? Or was it something more sinister?

"Where do we go, then?" Shane shrugged his thick coat off, letting it fall over the back of his seat. His pocket watch swung from his waistcoat pocket, shining in the last light of the sun that stretched through the room. "What should we do?"

"I don't know." Ryan sat with his elbows resting on his knees, wringing his hands, openly agitated. "I- I guess ring his wife. In the morning. Then perhaps ring his brother?"

"What about our boat back to London?" Shane deftly flipped open his watch. "We have around fifteen hours to find Le Prince. That's not a lot of time."

"We'll start with his brother," said Ryan with a firm nod. "What's his name? Adolphe?"

"Albert. Adolphe is the son."

"Oh yeah. Whatever. Then we ring the wife, Elizabeth. Let her know."

Shane raised his eyebrows. "You can handle that one. Me and sentiment don't mesh well."

"Then the Lumières." Ryan began distractedly rolling up the sleeves of his shirt, gaze distant. "They have a workshop around here, right? We swing by, maybe see if Louis popped in for a friendly chat. Or not-so-friendly."

"Oh, come on, man." Shane relaxed back in his seat, legs crossed, the picture of nonchalance. "How bad do you think inventors are? You think they're sending spies after each other? Assassins? Goons? That's insane."

After a moment, the shorter man gave a quiet laugh, shaking his head. "Damn it, you're right. It's stupid. He probably just... got distracted or something."

They sat in silence, a situation that very rarely provided the two men with any level of discomfort. But this time, it was as if they could hear the other's thoughts whirring around their head, gears turning, clanking. It was like waiting for someone to speak, even though you knew that they wouldn't, but if they weren't going to then should you? Or would that be awkward? If Le Prince was around, then that was that. Everything would be fine, it was just a little hiccup. But if Le Prince _wasn't_ around... Well, going back home would be a bit more difficult than they'd hoped.

 

 


	2. The Lumière Brothers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shane and Ryan pay a pair of brothers a visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the Lumières speak weird in this, but 1. they speakin' old style and 2. they speakin' stiff English because they're French and it would be stupid if they were just fluent. because like it's the 1800s (but then like lmao at how i make ryan and shane say 'cool' and 'dude' every 5 seconds)

Auguste and Louis Lumière owned a laboratory across the city. It was small, hidden away among the darker, dingier streets, where no sane person who valued their physical safety would willingly wander on a late night. Or morning. Or afternoon. Or any time, really. The people occupying said streets grew increasingly scarier, dirtier, positively growling at the two men who made their way through the cobblestone maze. Really, it just didn't exactly seem like prime real estate for people of the Lumière's status.

"Why here?" Shane was suddenly very glad he'd brought his cane this fine, early morning. "Why would two inventors choose a building around here to house their presumably invaluable products? I don't like it."

"Take off your coat."

Shane blinked. "Excuse me?"

"You look like a wealthy American," muttered Ryan, staying in the gradually growing sunlight as they made their way towards the workshop. The atmosphere wasn't pleasant; despite the streets staying the same width as the rest of the city, it seemed more claustrophobic, shadows dripping down the derelict buildings. "Rough yourself up a bit, would you? You stick out like hell, dude."

"Well..." He scowled as he realized that his colleague did indeed have a point. He stuck out like a Shane in a crowd of Ryans. "Hold on a minute then. Come here."

The taller man shrugged off his heavy coat, giving it to Ryan to hold before undoing his tie so his collar was loose. He looked down at himself before giving an insouciant shrug. Ryan shook his head in disapproval. Sighing wearily, Shane unbuttoned his sleeves, copying the shorter man's appearance in rolling them up. Then he stood, armed out to each side as he gave Ryan a smile.

"Well?"

Ryan looked him up and down, a thoughtful frown on his face. "Mm. Nope. Bend down a bit."

"I- What? Why?" He reluctantly leaned down, his undone tie swinging free. He kept a suspicious watch on the shorter man as he did so. "What are you- Hey, ouch! You don't have to be so rough about it!"

"I wasn't!" He grinned at the disgruntled look on Shane's face. "Your hair was too neat. Now you look more, uh, urban."

"Well you look a bit too proletariat yourself, Bergara." He moved to the wall of the building just beside them, rubbing a hand through the dirt and grime before turning back to face him. The shorter man stared, eyes wide. "Come here. Come _on_ , don't be a hypocrite!"

"No way!" Ryan ducked out of the way, dropping the taller man's coat on the ground as he did so. "There's a big difference between me mussing your hair a little and you smearing fucking hepatitis A through Z across my face!"

"It's just a little dirt, Ryan!" He struggled to get his arm over Ryan's, ignoring the shorter man's indignant curses. "It'll make you look more _urban_. Just the way you like it!"

"I _don't_ like it! I- Oh, come on!" He made a disgusted sound, rubbing at the wet dirt on his cheek with the back of his hand. It felt like damp grit. "That's just downright nasty, dude! Why the fuck-"

" _Monsieur_ Madej? _Monsieur_ Bergara?"

The two men turned to look at the other two men standing in the doorway of the building they'd borrowed the dirt from. The other two men looked strikingly similar, with identical noses and mustaches, and graying curly hair. They were even dressed similarly, in black coats, waistcoats, and white shirts. It was tiny bit unnerving, really, like a very smartly-dressed Dumb and Dumber from _Alice in Wonderland_ had appeared in real life in Paris. Except perhaps Smart and Smarter would be more applicable. The easiest way to differentiate them was the fact that one sported wire spectacles on his otherwise identical face. They were, without a doubt, brothers.

Ryan and Shane, on the other hand, looked like the true Dumb and Dumber; arms entangled, dirt smudged on the shorter man's face, Shane's tie looped through their arms, his hair looking as if it had never touched a comb in its life. His coat lay on the ground a few feet from the door the Lumière brothers currently stood. The silence lingered for a few long seconds, disturbed only by the sound of a stray cat hacking up a furball around the corner.

"It's pronounced Ma- _day_ ," said Shane into the silence, wiping his grimy hand on his waistcoat as he moved towards them. Ryan reluctantly picked his coat up off the ground. "You are the Lumières, I expect?"

Auguste, the brother sporting the spectacles, gave his hand a hesitant shake. "Welcome. We are very happy to have you here. Please, inside."

His brother's accent was thicker, but still understandable, which was very lucky since neither Shane nor Ryan knew anything past 'bonjour'. "This losing of Louis is very concerning, yes? He has not contacted you?"

"Not a word." Ryan followed them into the dusty hallway, feeling the taller man just at his shoulder. "We were hoping he maybe came by to say hello."

"Yes, you said as much in your telephone call." Auguste lead the way deeper into the halls, the walls getting rapidly less dirty, framed photos beginning to crop up, shining like diamonds in dirt. "This is not good news. And it is not good news for you men, either."

"Well, no," agreed Ryan, unable to keep the hint of anxiety from his voice. "But we didn't do anything. We didn't do anything to Louis, we swear."

"No, I know. It is not a good time to be an inventor nowadays. Many dangers are around." Auguste's eyes widened subtly at the stern look thrown his way by Louis. "What? _Je dis ça, je dis rien!_ "

" _Vous savez qu'ils arrivent comme un cheveu sur la soupe_ , Auguste! _Tais-toi!_ "

Shane and Ryan stood in awkward silence as the two brothers continued bickering in slippery French, and although it was an entirely different language, it was still a relatable situation. They waited until Auguste gave an impatient flick of his hands, accompanied by a deprecating scoff as he moved further into the corridors. Sharing a puzzled look, Shane and Ryan followed, entering what appeared to be a simple kitchen. Shane frowned; it wasn't exactly looking like an inventor's workshop yet. And they seemed to have stopped.

"Coffee?" asked Louis, as Auguste began pushing the large wooden table away from the center of the room. "We have the freshest from the market, yes?"

"Uh, yeah, thanks," smiled Ryan, distracted by Auguste crouching down and pulling at a few floorboards. They easily slid out of place as he set them aside. What was underneath was definitely not the ground. "Oh. Oh, wow. Maybe the coffee can wait."

It was a set of stone steps that lead down into a room that was doused in darkness. Auguste descended the steps first, the center of the stone worn away from presumably decades of coming and going. This was an old, old building that housed an old, old secret. Shane and Ryan quickly followed, Louis ushering them down the steps with open enthusiasm.

"The light, Auguste! Let them see!"

The oil lamps dotting the wall flickered on simultaneously, illuminating the room in front of and around them; it stretched back behind the steps, and far away, most definitely extending below the neighboring houses. Ryan stood with his mouth open, so fixated on the rows and rows of tables and benches around him that he didn't even notice his colleague bore an identical expression. The surfaces around them were littered with shining metals, unidentifiable objects that glinted in the flickering oil lamps. Shane moved towards a bunch of copper wires roped together, extending across the gap between two workbenches, disappearing into the far reaches of the room. He presumed they were connected to something. Curiously, he put a hand out.

" _Non_ , Madegg!" Louis slapped his hand away, but his face bore no ill will. "It will give you a pain. A _choc_."

"A shock?" Shane gave him a puzzled look. "Like a fright?" 

"It is difficult to explain," said Auguste from across the workbench, Ryan wandering around in the background. "Our friend is trying to make a new form of electricity. It is safer than the one we use now, but he is still fixing it. He has gone back to America, so we must keep it safe for him."

"Oh?" Ryan joined them, looking up at the dull metal wire as he passed underneath it. "Who is it? Edison?"

He looked thoroughly startled as Louis suddenly spat on the ground, Auguste muttering an indecipherable curse, which was said with such vehemence a translation wasn't even required. Shane waited for them to get over their sudden wave of irritation.

"He is a pig," said Louis, earning a firm nod from his brother. "He is stealing from our friend. That is why our friend come here to fix his idea."

"Who's your friend?" Ryan looked from one to the other with clear curiosity. Was it possible Le Prince was perhaps in a disguise of some sort? "When was he here?"

"He was here last night." Auguste gave them both stern looks. "He must stay hidden. He is a worker of that _salaud_ , Edison. But what he is working on is something that will make him known to the world for the rest of days, _monsieurs_. Edison can never know."

"Who is it?" persisted Ryan, ignoring the warning look from his taller counterpart. "What's his name?"

"Nikola Tesla." Auguste smiled sympathetically. "It was not Le Prince, I am afraid. We know him well, but it was not him. And Tesla returned home, gone last night."

"He can never stay for long." Louis was absent-mindedly fiddling with a small golden disc, twirling it on the bench, the light glinting at it spun. "So Edison does not know."

Shane caught a glimpse of himself in the reflection of the rotund metal tube between them, quickly doing up his tie again. He looked a tad scruffy compared to the smartly dressed brothers. _God dammit, Ryan._ "And what would Edison do? If he found a competitor?"

"He would destroy them," replied Auguste firmly, without hesitation. "He is a snake of a man. He will take Nikola's work for his own. And he will do the same to what Le Prince is working with."

"Which is why we did invite you here, sirs." Louis gestured for them to follow, he and Auguste walking step for step as they moved further down the workbenches, hands clasped behind their backs in a mirrored stance. "Let us show you. It is to do with Le Prince."

"Louis is working on moving pictures, isn't he?" asked Ryan as he followed close behind them, finally passing Shane's coat back to him. He'd forgotten he was even holding it. "Does Edison know?"

"We kept this knowledge secret." Auguste and his brother split up again at a small round table in the darkest corner of the room. "So that Edison would not know. He contacts us sometimes, I regret to say. He is a bad man. And even though we don't tell him about Le Prince, maybe he still knows."

"He has people who do things for him. Bad things." Louis glanced excitedly at the lumpy object sitting in the center of the otherwise bare table, a black tarp covering it. "Now listen. And look."

"My friends." Auguste placed a hand on the top of the black cover, looking from Shane to Ryan. "Do you wish to see the object that will change the entertainment of this world for the rest of days?"

The two men shared a look, both nodding eagerly. The whole thing was undeniably juicy. Their jobs didn't usually get this exciting, but instead of backing away and leaving like they should have, they didn't. And perhaps this was the real step that took them on the chase that would soon follow. 

"Look, _monsieurs_." He whipped the tarp away, letting it float to the stone floor. "It is one of the only _projecteurs_ on this planet."

It was large, black, and square, with a golden tube extending from its face. Really, it just looked like a weird camera. Ryan stared at it, waiting for it to do something. Shane felt like poking it with his cane, in case that would provoke it into acting. The Lumières looked from one to the other expectantly, hands pointing at the machine. The silence dragged for a few seconds.

"I told you, Auguste!" Louis rolled his eyes, putting his hands on his hips. "I told you they would not care! I told you the _Américains_ would not understand! _Ils sont stupide_ , _comme tous les Américains!_ "

"Hey, we're not stupid!" said Shane defensively. "We just don't understand. It's a camera!"

"This shows the moving images!" Auguste seemed eager for them to get it, to get excited about it. "On a wall! It allows for the viewing!"

"It shines the light," continued Louis, pointing at the golden tube. "And the image comes out from here and onto a wall. It is allowing for people to watch."

"Oh. Oh, wow, that is cool." Ryan moved forwards to take a closer look, squinting down the tube. "Can we see?"

"It is not ready, I am afraid." Auguste shrugged haplessly. "We must await for Le Prince to show us his single-lens type. Then we know where we are going wrong."

"Do you think Le Prince did it?" Shane's eyes were glued to the machine. It was basically millions of dollars in the shape of an inconveniently-sized camera. "Do you think he'll be successful?"

"Well, there are three things that a camera of this sort would be needing," replied Auguste, his brother nodding knowledgeably in the background. "First, a shutter speed that is high enough to be able to, _comment-dites_ , freeze moving? It has need of a filmstrip able of taking many pictures quickly. And a _projecteur_ to display the images onto a screen in a way that would allow them move." 

"This is the very thing that is before you," interrupted Louis with an excited smile through his luxurious mustache. "A _projecteur_ that can allow many people see the moving images at one time. Edison is trying to make one, but it will only allow one person see at one time."

Shane and Ryan stood in pensive silence for a minute, taking this overflow of information in. Only a few hours ago they had been waiting to help an inventor about a patent. Now they had a missing person, secret workshops, possible goons, and perhaps a little bit of a conspiracy on their hands. It was all a bit too sudden, and a bit too unbelievable. Ryan was quite eager to leave, really. But Shane, well, Shane was Shane.

"So Edison's got goons, huh?" He began making his way through the workbenches, taking in the many gadgets and gizmos as he went. "That could explain those two guys at the station, Ryan. What if Edison took Le Prince?"

"That is possible," said Auguste, giving the uncomfortable Ryan a raised eyebrow. "It is not unheard of that he does such things."

"This is-" Ryan swallowed, his thoughts almost visible zipping around behind his eyes. "This is a lot. To take in. It's all a bit much."

"It's _exciting_ , Ryan!" Shane poked his head through a row of shelves, grinning at him. "Look at all this shit!"

Ryan gave him a flat look before turning back to the brothers. "How long will you be staying in Paris, can I ask?"

"Two weeks, around. Then we are back to Besançon _._ "

"Okay." Ryan gave them both distracted handshakes, his mind elsewhere. "We might be seeing a bit more of you before you go. Thanks for your help."

"It is no problem, _monsieur_ ," replied Auguste with a warm smile, looking over his wire spectacles at something over Ryan's shoulder. "But please tell your big friend to not touch the electric wires."

"I can try, but the only way he'll stop is if he actually gets electrocuted." Ryan waited patiently for such a thing to happen, arms folded across his chest. "Any minute now."

A sharp buzzing sound pierced the air, accompanied by the tiniest flash of sparks. " _FUCKING-_ "

* * *

"It was like 'wooo' and I felt all fuzzy. I wouldn't say it hurt, but it was really weird, y'know?"

"Jesus Christ, Shane. Shut up." 

They made their way up the steps to the hotel, Shane taking them two at a time. "You're just jealous."

"Oh yeah, I'm so jealous I didn't get fried by a half-built lamp." He threw his colleague a flat but fond look. "You're pretty stupid for a lawyer, did you know that?"

"No. Thank you for informing me."

The phone was attached to the wall in the foyer, all polished wood and shining black metal. Only a few years ago they had worked with the very man who invented it, granting him a patent before anyone else could swipe his idea. Ryan knew patents were quite competitive, but he was beginning to think he'd been underestimating the desperation inventors seemed to have for them. Bell had specifically requested for Ryan and Shane by name, because even though they could very easily get on each other's nerves, and bicker about almost anything under the sun, the two men made a formidable team in the end. They were beginning to have quite a reputation within their fields, which would turn out to be both a blessing and a curse.

"Hopefully she'll answer this time," said Ryan, blinking as Shane suddenly shoved his coat at him to hold. "Why are you giving me this?"

"I'll have to do the phoning, right? It's a bit too high up for you."

"Oh fuck off, Madej." Ryan pushed the coat back at him, seeing the amused grin on the taller man's face. "That joke wasn't even funny the first time you said it."

"Come on." Shane smiled at him, clearly delighted by the irritated response. "Lighten up, Ryan."

"I think you've done enough of that for the both of us." Ryan rolled his eyes, spinning the dial on the box between them. "Auguste was pretty mad you touched his stuff, Shane."

" _Oh là là!"_

This time, Elizabeth Le Prince did answer. It was quite pleasant to hear another American voice again. She sounded appropriately puzzled by this phone call, and immediately after Ryan had introduced himself, she seemed to realize something was off.

"Why are you ringing me?" Her voice suddenly sounded quiet, timid. "Is Louis with you? Is he okay?"

Ryan hesitated before breaking the news. "Your husband never got off his train."

A silence greeted this. "You don't know where he is."

"I- I'm afraid not, Mrs Le Prince." He could feel Shane watching him, trying to gather how the conversation was going. "Your brother-in-law Albert told us he saw Louis get on the train, but he simply never met us."

Another long pause. "Edison."

Ryan covered the mouthpiece of the phone, mouthing the name at Shane, whose curious face fell serious. Unless the Lumières and Lizzy had been chatting within the half hour it took them to get back to the hotel, this mentioning of Thomas Edison was not a coincidence. 

"What do you mean by that, Mrs Le Prince?"

She replied instantly, her voice angry, bitter. "It was that bastard. The reason Louis was coming back to America was to show his invention, like he did in France. He was going to show his moving pictures to the public, he was going to release his new camera. Edison was trying to stop him. It was Edison!"

"Slow down, Mrs Le Prince, please." Ryan took a deep breath to try and calm himself, feeling very jittery all of a sudden. "What do you mean he showed his moving pictures in France? When?"

"A few months ago!" She was beginning to sound tearful, the conflict of emotions palpable through the phone. "At the National Opera! Oh my good God, you have to find him. I- I'd come to you, but I have my children here, I can't leave them. I have to work, provide for them, and now with Louis gone I can't-"

"He's not gone, Mrs Le Prince," said Ryan firmly, giving Shane a determined look. "We'll find him. He can't have gone far."

"Please, do. Ring me if you ever need any answers, anything I can help you with." He heard her sniff, her voice thick with tears. "I'll send what I can, I'll help! We need him home with us."

"We'll- We'll keep you updated as best we can." Ryan put the phone back on the hook, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "Fuck."

"Well?" Shane followed him back towards the doors, pulling his coat back on as he did so. "Where are we going? What did she say?"

"She thinks it was Edison," replied Ryan as he held the door open for his colleague, the two of them descending the stone steps they'd only just come up. "Same as the Lumières. But she also said Louis has already shown his pictures, at the National Opera a few months ago."

"What?" Shane raised an inquisitive eyebrow at him, his coat lightly billowing behind him as they paced down the small street, towards the center of the city. "Why would he show it here first?"

"He had- _has_ a patent here," said Ryan, trying to remember what he could about the file on Le Prince. "He has a British one as well. Did he have his camera with him, did Albert say so?"

"I didn't get that impression," replied Shane with a pensive frown. "He just mentioned a briefcase. A black briefcase."

"Okay, okay, here's our plan." He ticked off the tasks on his fingers, Shane nodding with each one. "Get something to eat before we pass out. Then to the station, see if any unaccompanied luggage was left on the Dijon train yesterday. Then to the Palais Garnier, see what the staff have to say. Maybe they can tell us something useful about what happened at the National Opera. Maybe Louis said some weird stuff."

"Sir yes sir." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do French in college hence the reason I just decided to stick some french idioms in because they're the one aspect of language that doesn't translate to simply, so if y'all care:  
>  _je dis ça, je dis rien!_ means 'I say that, I say nothing!' which is basically 'I'm just saying!'  
>  _vous savez qu'ils arrivent comme un cheveu sur la soupe_ means 'you know they arrive like a hair in the soup!' which just means someone turns up at an extremely inconvenient time in a situation where they just shouldn't be  
>  _tais-toi_ means 'shut up'

**Author's Note:**

> Elizabeth 'Lizzy' Le Prince - Louis' wife  
> Albert Le Prince - Louis' brother  
> Adolphe Le Prince - Louis' son  
> Maria Le Prince - Louis' daughter  
> Thomas Edison - snake/debatable inventor  
> Auguste and Louis Lumière - inventors of the Cinematographe   
> Max and Emil Skladanowsky - inventors of the Bioscop  
> Ferdinand Mobisson - director of the National Opera (and witness to Louis' first public showing of his 'movies')  
> Frederick Mason - Louis' assistant


End file.
